Churn.



S. BELL-CLIFFORD.

CHURN.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1B,1917. 1,23,,62fi Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

ETTED STTd ATENT UFFTUE.

SIDNEY BELL-GLIFFORID, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN RAGLAN HANEY, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

CHURN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2%, 191m.

Application filed April 18, 1917. Serial No. 1 62,910.

To all to ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY BELL-CLIF- FORD, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada,

residing at the city of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Churns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of churns in which a container is sustained normally in equilibrium between opposed springs and its function attained by the disturbance of the equilibrium by extraneous force. A plurality of springs are usually made use of in devices of this kind, and owing to the difficulty of obtaining springs of equal resilience, the movements of the containers in these prior devices has usually been erratic and calculated to defeat the object for which they were made. Such prior machines have usually been made with springs of fixed tension and having no provision for meeting a change in the weight in the contents of the container. The objects of the present invention are to overcome these disadvantages in prior machines and to attain certain advantages not present therein and which will appear as the description progresses.

- The means by which these objects are attained will be found fully described in the following specification, then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference also being had to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the difierent views, and in which Figure l is a side elevation of a churn embodying my improvements and in which a portion of the mechanism is shown in sec tion to more clearly indicate its character.

Fig. 2 is theclamp bar by means of which the cover is retained on the container.

Fig. 3 shows one end of the container frame, the other end being precisely similar.

Fig. 4 is one of the evener bars by which the resiliency of the springs is equalized.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragment of the supporting post showing the slot therein for the opera tion of the spring tension device.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan View of the mo\'- a ble bracket forming part of the spring tenslonnig means.

Fig. 8 is a view from above of the means used to move the bracket.

In the practice of my invention I prefer to employ a frame having similar top and bottom members 1 and 2, maintained in spaced relation by the rods 3 disposed in the apertures l in the top and bottom members and having the nuts 5 and 6 at each end between which the said members are received.

The apertures 4?, it will be noted, are slotted out through the edges of the mem bers and the rod 3) pertaining thereto, has tail nuts 5 at the top and bottom so that it may be readily released fromthe slots in the members to facilitate the reception or removal of the container B from the frame.

The container B may be of any size and form suitable to the operation to be performed whether this be the separation of butter from cream, or the beating of mayonnaise or the whipping of cream, and to this end the frame may be made much larger than were only the lesser of these operations contemplated, so that the size of the container may range from that of a pint sealer to one suitable for a farm churning.

The drawing indicates a jar or sealer of conventional type having a neck 7, a top 8 and the usual rubber ring packing 9 interposed between the top and neck to ob tain a tight joint. The screw ring it will be observed is unnecessary.

A bar 10 passes diametrically across the frame above the container and is provided adjacent its ends with the apertures 11 by which it is slidably mounted on two of the rods 3, the ends of the bar being slotted into the apertures as at 12 and provided with bolts 13 having tail nuts 14 by which the slots may be closed to clasp the bar upon the rods at a suitable height above the container. A screw 15 passes down through the bar 10 in screw threaded engagement therewith, the same being operated by the hand wheel 16 andhaving a ball and socket con.-

nection at the point 17 with a member 18 adapted to engage the top of the container and accommodate itself to the position thereof when the screw 15 is lowered, the top of container being thus securely closed.

A post 19 provides a suitable support for the wholestructure, "the said post having a lateral bracket 20 at the top ending in a hook 21 to engage the eye 22 formed at the center of the evener bar 23, the latter ending inhooks 2 1 and 25 to which the upper ends "of the springs 26 and 2''? are secured,'tlieir lower ends being securedto the eyes 28 at diametrically opposite points on the top 1. of the frame A.

At a suitable distance below the bracket 20 the post 19 is provided with a longitudinal slot 29 and a lateral bracket 30 has a plate 31 bearing against the face of the post 19 across the slot. Bolts 32 pass through the plate 31, the spacing sleeves 33 in the slot, and a plate 34:. on the opposite face of the post, and nuts 35 on the bolts serve to holdthe parts together in sliding relation to the post.

An interiorly screw-threaded opening 36 passes vertically through the bracket 30 to receive a screw '37 shouldered in a bracket 38 secured to the post 19 by a bolt 39, the screw37 beingprovided with a hand wheel 40 by which it may be operated to raise or lower the bracket 30.

The bracket 30 ends in a hook ll and a second evener bar 42, similar to the bar 23 previously described, has its central loop or eye 43 engaged by the hook 11 while springs 44 and 45 connect the end hooks 46 and d7 of the bar with the loops 18 on the bottom 2 of the frame.

The upper springs 26 and 27 are preferably made relativelystronger than those 4 1 and 45 at the bottom as they necessarilysustain the weight of the frame, container and its contents.

Thus the frame A is maintained between the opposed springs 26 and 27 on the one side and those 44: and 45 onthe other side, hand pressure being exerted in either direction then suddenly removed to deliver the frame into the power of the springs, the up and down movement-due to their resiliency resulting in the churning of the contents of the container. The container, it should be mentioned, should never be completely filled, and the hand pressure may be repeated at any time that the springs show signs of coming to rest.

But as previously mentioned,it is difficult to obtain springs of equalstrength and resilient quality, so it might well be that the spring- 26 would prove of lessresiliency than its mate'27'in which case the container would have a jerky side motion rather than the direct vertical movement best calculated to load will vary, thus changing the relationship of the upper and lower sets ofsprings to each other, as, with a greater load in the frame it will. hang lower and the tension on the lower springs be relaxed. To overcome this the lower bracket 30 made movable by the means describedgor their equivalent, so that the tension of the springs may beadjusted to the load and the normal working condition of the apparatus restored.

In ,actualpractice it has been found 1 possible to produce butter in about one minute with the machine, and the butter is better than that otherwiseproduced in thatit is The operation of washing is also performed by the same machine and jowing to a. container of glass being used the operation can be, overseen and well performed.

In addition to the uses named the device.

can be used for many others that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art'to which such utilities pertain.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim is- V 1. In a churn, a container carrying frame, springs secured to the frameat the ends thereof, means of support forthe opposite ends of *the springs whereby the frame is caused to be carried bythe springs under tension, and means wherebythe ,tension of the springs may be coordinated to the weight of the contents of the container. 7

2. In a churn, a container carrying frame, equalizing bars at the ends of the frame, springs connecting-the ends of the respective bars with the frame, means supportingthe bars normally at a fixed spacing with the springs under tension, and means of adjust- ,granular and easily separated from the fluid. 7

ment for the bars whereby the tension of the springs may be coordinated to the Weight of the contents of the container.

3. A churn comprising a container carrying frame, equalizing bars-above andbelow the frame,'springs connecting the ends of the respective bars with the top and bottom of' the frame, means to maintain the bars at a fixed spacing from each other against the tension of the sprlngs, and means of adjustment operative to alter the spacing of the the frame, springs connecting the ends of the bars with the ends of the frame, a fixed support for the upper bar, and an adjustable support for the lower bar.

5. A churn comprising a container carrying frame and a suitable supporting member, a bracket fixed to the supporting member above the frame, a bracket slidably connected with the supporting member below the frame, yoke bars carried by the brackets, springs connecting the ends of the bars with the frame, and a screw by which the lower bracket may be adjusted to coordinate the tension of the springs and the weight of the contents of the container.

6. A churn having a frame and opposed springs under tension between which the frame is carried, the said frame being formed from top and bottom members spaced apart to receive a jar and rods connecting the said members and adapted to maintain their spacing, a bar crossing the space between the frame members and adjustably clamped to the rods, a screw passing through the bar and means on the end of the screw to engage the cover of a jar and to maintain the same as a closure.

7. A churn having a frame formed from rod connected top and bottom members spaced apart to receive a j ar,opposed springs by which the frame is carried, a bar crossing the interior of the frame and having its ends slotted to engage the rods, bolts adapted to releasably clamp the ends of the bar upon the rods, a screw rotatably mounted in the bar and a member universal joint connected to the end of the screw operative upon rotation of the screw to engage the cover of a jar and thereby to maintain the position of the jar in the frame.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

SIDNEY BELL-CLIFFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. C. 

